Wed Aug 25, 2010

Grrrrrrr. Just thinking of working with dough elicits a deep visceral reaction of frustration and torment—"grrrrr" being one of the kinder phrases that comes to mind when trying to describe that feeling. I love bread, and so wish it came to me as naturally as working with meat. Why is proofing such a mystery, while seasoning so simple? Why is rising such a nail-bitter, while marinating is a walk in the park? Why is baking so perilous, while grilling so care free? All of those feelings should keep me a good distance away from any bread-making endeavors, but some perverse force seems to pull me into doughy situations that often result in the free flinging of expletives that, every once in a while, actually end with something that was worth the suffering, like these grilled pocket pitas.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Tue Aug 17, 2010

With all this North Carolina talk going on around these parts, it'd be a disservice not to have sides with that, and when I think North Carolina barbecue, hush puppies are right up there with slaw as a must have on each plate. As a kid growing up in suburban Virginia, hush puppies were exclusively found in seafood establishments, and were the only redeeming part of them in my mind. This led me to think of hush puppies as lone wolves—the only thing edible from our otherwise horrendous outings to Red Lobster and Long John Silver's. It wasn't until I had them next to some chopped pork that they were reinvented in my mind as one of the greatest barbecue sides out there.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Wed Aug 11, 2010

Compared to ribs, pulled pork didn't take me long to get it to a place I was happy with. In just about one and half Meatwave seasons, I felt my recipe for a smoked pork butt was pretty top notch. I actually preferred my homemade pork to most I got in restaurants and at the Big Apple BBQ Block Party, with one big exception, Big Bob Gibson's. To this day, I have not eaten a barbecued pork shoulder that is as juicy, tender, and flavorful as the ones that pitmaster Chris Lilly churns out. I figured that I could never match such a seasoned pro, and was perfectly fine with my own pork, so never bothered trying to match it.
Having a chance to sit down and talk swine with Chris Lilly the day prior to this year's Block Party, then getting some pork making tips the following day, and having eaten another one of his fantastic sandwiches, I thought I really should be shooting for the stars and decided to amp up my pulled pork game. After this resolve, was there any place else to start except for the recipe that I aspire to?
More and recipe after the jump >>
Tue Aug 3, 2010

Two years ago I went through a truly transcendent experience, one involving the introduction of vinegar to pork. While visiting two of my most favorite people in world in Eastern North Carolina, it was a given we'd be hitting up some local joints like Allen & Son and Ed Mitchell's The Pit. There I learned, without a doubt, just how well dressed up vinegar could enhance the flavor of barbecued pork.
My instant enthusiasm led me to the purchase of Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue, a tome of all things North Carolina barbecue. Captured within those pages was an original recipe for North Carolina vinegar sauce, which I made during my next pulled pork cook, and with just a little cut down on the salt, it tasted pretty good to me.
Little did I know that the evolution of the sauce had come such a long way from that dated recipe, and Serious Eaters let me know it in no uncertain terms. With the breadth of comments that post elicited, I've been able to piece together and refine a sauce that I finally feel confident enough is in proper shape to present to the finest smoked swine and the interweb masses at large.
More and recipe after the jump >>
Mon Jul 26, 2010

It's kind of embarrassing that my recipe reserve currently out numbers what's actually on the blog. I'm sure you can understand that's hard to find the time to actually write about something when the grill sits just feet away, constantly beckoning. Being more prolific in cooking than writing, I often forget all of those photos laying dormant in Lightroom, just waiting to see the light of day. It's thanks to super Meatwaver Lindsay that this little gem came out of the closet.
She was talking up some exciting changes to a local bar at our Meativersary and got into how they even have a watermelon and haloumi salad, although it didn't compare to the one I had made a couple years back. With that, all the fond memories of this simple and wildly awesome salad came back, forcing me to spew out words to you describing the deliciousness a salty cheese and sweet melon can create when combined together.
More and recipe after the jump >>
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